Laborers work at a sandblasting plant outside of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Manual sandblasting was recently banned in Turkey after it was discovered that it led to 40 deaths. Without the use of proper face protection, manual sandblasting can lead to silicosis by the inhalation of the silica dust in sand.

Manual sandblasting has long been banned many European countries and the United States. The textile industry is Bangladesh's number one export earner and employs over 2.2 million workers.

Allison Joyce

Allison Joyce is an award winning photojournalist currently working out of New York City. As a relgular contributer to Reuters and Getty, her work has appeared in publications worldwide, including the New York Times, National Geographic, Mother Jones, Virginia Quarterly Review, TIME, Paris Match and Newsweek.